Syrian security forces say they have thwarted a plot to attack the Homs oil refinery in central Syria, detaining a cell they link to Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group. The General Intelligence Service (GIS) announced the operation on X, saying it was carried out together with the country’s Internal Security Forces.
The agency named the two people it detained only by their initials, M S and B Sh. It did not say when or where the operation took place, but said security forces seized explosive devices in their possession that had been prepared for the plot.
Hezbollah rejects Damascus accusations over refinery plot
Hezbollah denied the Syrian accusations in a statement. It said it has no presence on Syrian territory and is not involved in any activity that threatens Syria‘s security and stability.
The group fought alongside the forces of former President Bashar al-Assad during Syria’s civil war, which lasted almost 14 years. Relations with Damascus have since worsened sharply, following Assad’s overthrow in 2024.
Syrian authorities have accused Hezbollah of involvement in a series of alleged plots. These include planned assassinations, rocket attacks and arms smuggling.
Homs refinery and attacks on Syria’s energy network
The Homs refinery is one of two oil refineries in Syria, the other being the Baniyas refinery. It plays a key role in securing petroleum products for the country.
Earlier this autumn, the Syrian Electricity Company said the Deir Ali, Nasiriya and Tishreen power stations had gone offline after an explosion on a gas line at the Tishreen station in the Damascus countryside. The blast cut off the gas supply needed to run them.
On October 15, the Syrian Petroleum Company said a pipeline carrying petroleum products from Baniyas to Homs was damaged near the village of Hadida, in western Homs countryside. State media reported that the damage caused a fuel leak. The company’s account was described as the latest in a series of attacks on Syria’s energy infrastructure.
Separate ISIL arrests in Deir Az Zor and Damascus
In a separate operation, the GIS said on Sunday that it had arrested two members of a suspected ISIL cell in the Deir Az Zor governorate. Investigations showed the detainees were involved in a series of assassinations in the province. The latest of these targeted Ibrahim al-Jassem, a defence ministry member, who was shot near the al-Rashid mosque in the city of Mayadin.
Security forces said the raid led to the seizure of weapons and ammunition from the cell’s hideout. Authorities are continuing to investigate the detainees to uncover their links, the statement added.
On September 27, security forces said they had arrested four members of an ISIL cell that was planning and carrying out several attacks across the country. Last month, state television reported that security forces had foiled a plot against a police patrol in the Damascus countryside. The group was blamed for explosions and assassinations in Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib and Homs.
Damascus joined the US-led international coalition against ISIL last November. The coalition was formed in 2014 and has carried out operations against the group in Syria and Iraq.
